Jason Day is skipping the Australian Open and World Cup of Golf in his home country because of the back injury that forced him to withdraw during the final two PGA Tour events of the season.
Ranked No. 1 in the world, Day said Thursday that he has been advised to rest his back and that the November trip to Australia would have conflicted with his rehabilitation and rest periods.
The Australian Open is Nov. 17-20 at Royal Sydney, and the World Cup is the following week at Kingston Heath in Melbourne.
''I regret that I will be unable to come home to Australian this year,'' Day said in a statement.